


In the Footsteps of Giants

by aionimica



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Stranded, visits from the past, wise words from a wise woman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-15 19:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13620075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica
Summary: Post-Sequel Trilogy; Ben Solo is off in exile, accompanied by Rey. In desperate need of fuel, they stop on Naboo, but their pit stop doesn’t quite go as planned.





	In the Footsteps of Giants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mrstater](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrstater/gifts).



> My piece for the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology Valentine's Exchange <3333 I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Biggest thanks to all the mods involved in organizing this event and everyone who participated. I wouldn't have been able to do this without your encouragement and accountability <3 I can't wait to create more things with you!
> 
> Also huge thanks to [crossingwinter](http://archiveofourown.org/users/crossingwinter/pseuds/crossingwinter) for being my lovely beta for this! It wouldn't be as good without her :)

* * *

 

 

Coming out of hyperspace into orbit was the equivalent of exhaling a breath long held. Rey rocked back in the captain’s seat, her head hitting the padded foam with a  _ thud _ , but it didn’t matter. She was in a ship of her own in a galaxy that was hers to explore with the one person she would want at her side.

He, however, did not seem to be having a good time.

“Ben?” She tried not to laugh as she caught a glance of him in the corner of her eye. “What’s wrong?”

Ben Solo sat with a rigid spine and stiff arms as he stared out the viewport with wide eyes under a furrowed brow. Rey wasn’t even sure that was possible. He was in the co-pilot’s seat, hands tight along the control panel, his knuckles white.

“Ben,” she said again, softly. This time he looked.

“What?”

“Relax.” She adjusted the settings, making some fine-tuning to their pre-plotted course. She didn’t need to reach through their bond to know that he was distraught. It was written plain on his face, the scar on his eye pulled tight across his face.

But when she tossed it a cursory glance, she felt the lines between them tighten and twist until they were knotted beyond comprehension. They overlapped until she wasn’t sure where one started and the other ended, but they pulsed together. It was an interesting thing, their bond, but it was something Rey was slowly learning to navigate. They both were. Now? Now, she followed the threads from her mind to his where his heart beat tympanic.

“Why did we come here?”

She shrugged off the tension and slowly pulled away from his thread. Hands steady on the controls, Rey cleared her voice. “We’re low on fuel, Naboo is in between our points and they have been sympathetic to—“

“But why  _ here _ ?” he said, his voice gaining that sharp edge it always did when he fumbled for control. 

Rey glanced away, unable to answer. That tangled string in her mind reverberated into a throbbing chord that rose above the din and echoed with panic. So much had changed, along with so little. When she looked at him, she saw shadows and light and the shades in between. He looked out to the galaxy with world-weary eyes; the weight of sins lifted from his shoulders, yet the brunt of burdens fell on his brow. And he looked at her in silence asking the questions Rey couldn’t answer: Why here? Why this planet? Why Naboo?

She looked out instead. It was unmistakable. A brimming blue-green sphere hung in a cloud of stars. White wisps of cloud skirted across the surface, softening whatever hard edges it had. Naboo was a place out of a fairytale. It didn’t look like it could be real. 

“We need fuel, Ben,” Rey said again. “And Naboo has always been kind to the Resistance--”

His mouth opened before closing and he muttered under his breath. “That’s not exactly why I’m concerned.” 

Rey reached out and put a hand on his. Ben looked at her quickly, confusion overtaking him before melting into a vague unease. She gripped his fingers until he did the same. 

“We’ll be fast,” she said. “I promise.”

~

The shipmaster looked up expectantly as Rey walked down the ramp of the docking yard, presenting their datapad. The air on Naboo was thinner than she expected; nearly every world she visited was thick and wet against her skin, the humid air cloying on her dry lungs. She inhaled and almost smiled. Naboo was wet, but soft and inviting, a warm bath ready to take her in, infused with florals and soft creams. They were just outside of Theed, the full view of the city obscured by thick vines and old stone walls, but the sounds of soft footsteps on cobbledstones and the gentle whine of repulsorlifts called to them from beyond.

Rey looked up as the shipmaster cleared his throat. “Jora Rey,” she said. “Captain of the  _ Falcon _ .”

The shipmaster looked at Ben from under heavy white eyebrows. “And you are?” 

“Ben Castora,” he replied, using their agreed upon travel names. “Co-pilot.”

Rey had to give it to Ben. Despite his reservations from before, he stood with an air of a man who belonged. There was still that haughtiness to his gaze, the lift to his chin that had him looking down the length of his long, crooked nose. She’d seen it on Han and she’d seen it on Leia and though Finn and Poe said it was whatever was left behind from the First Order, Rey knew better. It was the essence of his parents boiled down and blossoming in this boy. 

They stood off to the side of the  _ Falcon’ _ s ramp as the shipmaster took their chip and scrolled through their data. The minutes ticked by. A single bird landed in the trees at the edge of the landing pad, its brilliant plumage alight in shades of reds and golds. It shrieked one single note before taking flight again. 

The shipmaster looked at them with a frown. “I don’t have you two on our manifest.”  He glanced from them to the  _ Falcon _ and then back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a comlink. Ben’s hand curled into a fist. 

“We just need some fuel,” Rey said quickly. “We don’t even need to stay overnight. Just some fuel.”

The shipmaster made a note on his data pad before handing theirs back. He keyed in a frequency on his comm and raised up a finger. “This is highly irregular. Give me just a moment please.”

He walked away, leaving the two of them alone.  Rey turned to Ben. “Well, they didn’t kick us off the planet immediately.”

Ben groaned. “I’ve got such a bad feeling about this…”

“Why?” Rey took a step closer and carefully took his hand in hers. She didn’t miss how he jolted at the touch, tensing and staring at her for a moment before relaxing into it, lowering his head until it almost touched hers. “What’s so bad about this planet?”

“My grandmother was from here,” he said softly.

“Oh.”

“I’ve never been to Naboo before. My mother never took me. It was a neutral planet during the First Order’s conquest, acquiescing easily to new leadership as long as their sovereignty was acknowledged. Theed was compliant with our wishes but never enthusiastic and they made that apparent.”

“What did you do?” There was so much he never told her, would probably tell no one. She knew him better than most, but there was still things that hung between them unsaid. Emotions and memories tied up in hidden, dark places that swelled and knotted. She could see flashes of them at night when their walls were shut and their backs were turned and pressed against each other: she saw flashes of a green planet and a queen with a pale, white face and water running over gentle, sloping plains and then in a moment it burned in flames.

“Nothing,” he said. “The treaties were finalized and Naboo retained their sovereignty. I never spoke with the Queen. Never had to land planetside.”

_ Never had to put them under my fist _ . 

Rey took his hand and squeezed it. He looked at the contact dumbly before returning the gesture. “It’s going to be alright,” she promised.

He stiffened. Rey looked up and groaned. The shipmaster walked back their way, a fully outfitted retinue of guards at his back. Ben growled. “What did I tell you?”

“Ben.”

The shipmaster frowned and looked at both of them as he walked up to their side. The guards circled them, not making eye contact. “Is there a problem?”

“Not at all,” Rey said. Ben grimaced as she elbowed his side.

“Good. There were some discrepancies with your manifest. Protocol is to take care of this back at the base, however, some exceptions have been made. Still, we will need you to come with us.”

“Of course,” Rey said and fell into step with the shipmaster. 

“See this is exactly why I didn’t want to come here,” Ben said under his breath as the guards followed and they walked out of the landing docks into the side streets of Theed. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

“You’re not supposed to be anywhere, honestly--”   
  
Ben hissed under his breath. The rules of his exile were clear. All planets in the burgeoning alliance agreed to the terms. Ben Solo was supposed to disappear, Rey was supposed to make that happen. And now they were being escorted through the capital of Naboo. “Then why did you bring me to Naboo?” 

“--but you’re with me,” Rey continued as he scowled and reluctantly followed. “It’s going to be alright. We’ve been through worse.”

He almost laughed, a bitter and hoarse thing, but the tightness in their bond eased and Rey smiled. 

Theed passed in a blur as soon as the shipmaster escorted them to a transport and the city guard took up their posts. The speeder silently carried them over the ancient streets which passed in a blur of pastels mixed with stone and heavy greenery. Banners hung with woven patterns and every now and then when the speeder slowed, the citizens looked up and Rey wanted to hide her face. No one said anything, no one commented on the sight of the pair in the speeder, but Rey couldn’t help but wonder how long the silence would last. Every planet she’d visited she’d heard the cry of her name on the lips of a child who looked up at the stars for something more. 

The guards didn’t handcuff them, which was the only good thing about the situation. Even so, Rey couldn’t turn without seeing a blaster barrel casually pointed in their direction. They stood next to each other in silence, their arms crossed, but their bodies pressed together, Ben’s hip against hers. As the speeder turned, she leaned into him and once again the tension eased. 

When it slowed for the last time, he stood straight and Rey looked up, and swore. 

Ben’s eyes widened as the great gates to Theed Palace opened and ushered them in. Rey’s mouth fell open as the shuttle pulled to a stop in the courtyard. Vines snaked up with warm stucco walls. Not far off in the distance a waterfall roared. Pristine silver battle droids monitored the premises, their human counterparts patrolling in leather livery with stern expressions on their brow. Ancient battlements hid the newly upgraded anti-aircraft ion cannons; the hedges along the side masking the energy shield. 

The palace was alive, it beat with the heart of the earth and it opened up to swallow Rey whole. Kriffing hell they were in so much trouble, they were going to be turned in, Ben would be returned to the senate, he’d be tried -- and soon every other thought faded as Rey realized the more pressing matter: they were going to meet the Queen.

“Just follow my lead,” Ben murmured as they were escorted away.

~

Ben dropped to his knee in perfect time, his back straight, his shoulders broad and his head bowed in reverence. Rey stumbled behind him, doing her best imitation. The were in the middle of a round room on tile polished and laid with intricate detail, the designs twisting and swirling in a crest that ended on the dias in front of them. A woman with a painted white face and a blood red lip looked down on them with heavily painted eyes. She wore no crown, and yet she sat with an elegance only befit royalty. Her gown with it’s hand threaded golden detail and her elaborate hairstyles befit her station and proclaimed her utmost authority.

“It is no small matter,” the Queen said softly, yet her voice echoed and spread. “But I would rather hear the truth from your lips. Tell me, why is the Jedi and the Jedi Killer on my planet?”

“We are travelling from Chandrilla to the Outer Rim and we needed to refuel,” Rey said, daring to look up to the woman. Ben stared at a spot on the floor.

“There are some who think I should arrest you on sight. Others who think that killing might be a greater mercy.” 

Rey closed her hands. Her lightsaber was still in her satchel, if it came to that, they would be able to get out, they could escape and Ben could live. His lightsaber was left on the  _ falcon _ for obvious reasons, the most pressing being that he technically wasn’t allowed to have it, but Rey immediately took possession of it for ‘ _ researching jedi artifacts _ .’ He was still handy with a blaster though...

The Queen’s voice shook her out of her thoughts. “But the Jedi were once revered on our world. And you, Jedi Killer, have a family member most dear to us. It is not in our nature to ignore such history between us. I grant you this clemency in honor of their memory.”

“Thank you--” Rey started to say, but the sharp gaze of the Queen lost the words from her lips.

The Queen pursed her lips and clasped her hands. “You may have one night on Naboo. But you must leave before dawn tomorrow.”

“You are gracious, Your Majesty,” Ben said and his voice wavered. 

“I wasn’t finished. I would like to interview each of you individually in the meantime.”

“Your Majesty,” the Captain of her Guard walked over, narrowing his eyes at the two of them. “If I may, that seems highly unsound considering the nature of their visit and their…  _ pasts _ .”

Ben bristled. Rey reached out. 

“Then you will just have to work twice as hard at protecting me from a Jedi,” the Queen said sharply. She rose from her throne in a single motion and stared at the two of them. “Whichever of you would like to come first, come with me.”

Rey stood and looked back to Ben where he still knelt, his eyes downcast on the crest that ran in obsidian veins at his feet. 

_ I’ll be back soon _ , she passed to him. A tightness in her mind was the only response.

“He’ll be safe,” the Queen said as Rey came to her side. “Now, young Jedi, let us talk.” 

~

Queen Isolde of Naboo was not a tall woman. She slightly shorter than Rey herself, though the Queen’s great hair pieces towered above Rey. Between the ornamentation and the formal paint on her brow, Rey felt very small. Even with her lightsaber in her pack and the label of Jedi affixed to her, Rey couldn’t help but stare in awe.

“I did not mean to intrude, Your Majesty,” Rey said quickly, not daring to meet the woman in the eye. “I can assure you we will leave promptly.”

“You don’t know how to act around royalty, do you?” The Queen smiled softly as Rey paled and froze. “Usually people wait to speak until they are spoken too.”

“Oh,” Rey covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, Your Majesty, forgive me, I had no idea. I didn’t mean to cause--”

The Queen smiled and raised a hand. “It’s alright, Jedi. Now what is your real name.”

“Rey.”

“No last name?”

“I’m from Jakku.”

The Queen said nothing, though her painted brows quirked. “That is a long way from home.”

“The  _ Falcon _ is my home now. It’s the only place that is really mine.”

The Queen’s lips nearly turned into a smile. “You know, if you’re going to be traveling with  _ him _ and you want to remain safely anonymous, a less famous ship might be of use to you.”

Rey bit her lip. “Oh.”

“Don’t worry. That’s a problem easily remedied. But a more innocuous ship might do you some benefit. Not that it matters… I’m glad you came,” she said gently. “It has been a long time since a Jedi came to Naboo. A very long time. And that’s the only reason you came here? Fuel?”

“We  _ are  _ running low.”

“We’re not a normal place for a refueling station.”

“Ben is…” Rey trailed off. “I’ve been having dreams. Of a marbled planet and waterfalls and buildings of burn stone. And when I saw it on the map, I knew I had to come here. I’m sorry I can’t explain it anymore.”

“And your companion, does he feel the same?”

“He’s never been here before. But as far as the dreams go?”

She breathed. “Yes.”

“There is little here that I can offer a Jedi. Once several came to our planet, back before the Empire and Clone Wars. Back when there still was a semblance of peace. They left nothing but their footsteps and their stories. They followed senators and walked as scions, seeking out quiet places in the midst of turmoil.” The Queen stopped before tall heavy doors and rested a hand on them. “This place was a spot they favored in particular.”

“An armory?”

“Once upon a time it was used for that purpose. However in more recent times it’s been repurposed to a storage unit and on occasion, a meeting place for Jedi.” She keyed open the lock and stepped inside. Rey followed.

“Obi Wan Kenobi himself meditated in these steps. Anakin Skywalker came to this planet often, or so I’m told. He had a close friend whom he would visit and occasionally he came to this place to find peace.

“These are the footsteps of giants, Jedi Rey.” The Queen turned to her. “You travel with a giant who leaves his own imprint on the galaxy whether he intends to or not. You are one too.”

The air shifted as Rey stepped into a path, the air suddenly thick as her vision clouded and the Force around them stretched and yawned. Suddenly it was years ago and she was in Maz’s castle, picking up a lightsaber she knew nothing about. 

_ Take care, Anakin _ .

Strange forms walked past in flashes of color and places she didn’t understand. But Rey heard the rain and smelled the flowers and flowed along in the current as the Force pulled. 

_ You know I will, Master.  _

Rey blinked back tears as she staggered back under the burdening weight of the Force. “Why are you telling me this?” she whispered.

“Because giants fall and giants rise and giants kill and giants can be kind. And when you walk by a giant, they are like any other being. I am a giant, but do you see anything odd when you look at me? Everyone you pass is a giant in disguise. Remember that, Jedi.”

Rey met gaze resolutely and “I will.”

The Queen nodded and smiled. “Good. Now.”

She turned to the heavy cases lined up behind her. “Leia returned these to us for safe-keeping once she left the New Republic in an official capacity. They have been kept here in the royal vaults, waiting for her to come and collect, however I don’t thinks she will mind if I take some discretion on how they return to her.”

Rey frowned until the Queen opened the cases and the heavy gowns poured out. Her fingers traced through silks and velvets of every color and every cut for every occasion. Golden cuff and silver embellishments caught the light, casting a rainbow against Rey’s skin.

“These once belonged to Padme Naberrie Amidala. She was once a Queen of a Naboo who further served us as our senator until her death many years ago. She is also a certain Jedi Killer’s grandmother.”

Rey looked up, the fabric falling through her limp fingers. “Ben’s grandmother was a queen?”

“She served her term and served us well. Padme was a model that we all strive to be, if only we could serve as she did.” The Queen gave a soft, sad smile. “The gowns are yours, if you want them. Well, his technically. Though I can’t see Ben Solo having much use for this wardrobe.” The Queen paused and wry smile split across her painted lips. “Though he could definitely pull it off.”

Rey sputtered. The Queen looked away, the humor vanishing back underneath her painted face.

“It would be my pleasure to have you as my guests for dinner tonight. It is not often that the descendants of sovereigns come to our court.” Rey stammered as the Queen turned out of the room. “No, my dear. That was not a question.”

“But what should I wear?”

The Queen waved her hand. “You just inherited priceless gowns with intense familial and historical significance. And if you’re wondering, no. Padme Naberrie’s taste has never gone out of style.”

~

Theed Palace was haunted by ghosts and dead men and women. Ben Solo walked alone in the halls with his eyes downcast. Even though it was generations past, he saw vestiges of his face in every tapestry. 

“Your grandmother was remarkable.”

He started, his hand going to his hip, his other hand reaching out, palm flat, fingers extended -- but there was nothing there for him, just empty space. A reminder of everything he’d given away, everything he’d sacrificed and lost.

The Queen stood in the doorway, hands folded and a humored expression on her brown as he stood from his fighting crouch and bowed his head. “I see you’re not one for patience.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“At least you’re aware of that. Recognizing it is the first step. What are you doing?”

“You’re paying a lot of attention to us,” he said crisply, deliberately ignoring her question.

She raised a single painted eyebrow and walked past him, her heavy gown rustling against the stone floor. “You draw a lot of attention to yourself, Solo.” 

He scowled, resisting the urge to flinch at his own name. “It was not intentional, Your Majesty.”

“It rarely is,” she said dryly. “Your companion…”

“Where is she?”

“She’s preparing for dinner tonight.” 

She watched him as he fumbled through years of protocol drilled into his head before he simply nodded his head. “The invitation is too kind, Your Majesty.”

Ben looked up. The Queen pondered the tapestry of Amidala, black fingernails tapping her painted chin. “Why did you come to Naboo?”

“I did not want to.”

“Your honesty is appreciated, however that doesn't answer my question. Rey told me you dreamed of this place. Did you think that you were meant to come here?”

“I try not to think about destiney too much these days.”

“A good choice. But I don’t think I found you in this place by accident.”

Ben bit his lip, working it between his lip before looking at her. “I have no home. I have no family. I have nothing. This planet is the last place that there is something that I can see of my family that has not been ruined and I… I didn’t want to change that.”

“You think you could ruin us?”

Ben Solo stared at the Queen and for the briefest of moments he felt the Force flare and the power that was once so easy to come at his beck and call flickered at his fingertips. He called himself Kylo Ren once and though names were just names, they never left him behind and when he drew himself up to his full height and looked down at the woman in robes more regal than anything he’d ever worn, he felt that name calling to him more than ever before.

The Queen nodded, measuring him up without a smile. “Your restraint before was honored with continuing to treat us with dignity. But I was dealing with the Supreme Leader then, not Ben Solo. The Supreme Leader commanded worlds. Ben Solo was born of one.” 

He said nothing, instead staring at the portrait of the woman in front of him. Padme Naberrie Amidala, the plaque read. Her Royal Highness. Queen of Naboo, Senator of Naboo, A Servant of Stars. She was painted in profile, her brown hair falling in soft tresses that were plaited and done in a half-hairstyle that painted her neck. Ben looked at her and saw the curve of his mother’s jaw, the light in Luke’s eyes, his own brow and strong chin. 

All he had left was here. All he had left was before him. And all he wanted to do was run. But the Force held him in place, 

“What do you know of your family?” The Queen’s voice broke through the trance.

“Too much.”

“Fair.” 

He continued to stare at the portrait, leaving the woman’s face and trailing down to the pendant wrapped between her fingers: a small charm carved with a child’s hands and wrapped on a silver chain. He couldn’t quite place it, but he’d seen it, felt it, craved it before. The Queen came to his side and glanced up. 

“This is something you came to find, is it not?”

His mouth went dry.

“No.”

“But you know what it is?”

“Only vague details,” he replied, his throat tightening. He’d heard of it in bedtime stories that Leia told him long ago. Of knights visiting queens and a boy carving her a gift, before leaving her behind. 

“Your grandmother received this when she met your grandfather. She wore it nearly every day of her life, even customizing her dresses to allow her to wear it under her clothes. Her journals say that it’s carved from Tattooinian japor snippet, and according to Anakin, a good luck charm.”

“Like it brought her any luck,” Ben commented bitterly.

The Queen turned to him. “Do you hate your family that much?”

“Don’t you?”

The entire galaxy hated his family. Text praised Anakin and murdered Vader in a single sentence. Leia was martyred under her family’s lineage, the sins of the father sparing no one. Luke ran from a legacy he couldn’t bear and ruined the future under such a constraint. And Ben? Ben smiled wickedly. He had done almost as much harm as Anakin himself. The galaxy hated his family. The Skywalkers had burned them all.

The Queen paid him no mind and walked below the portrait and with deft fingers, input a code. A small case opened up and she gently removed a heavy piece on a silver chain. Cradling it in her hands, she turned back to him. 

Against his better judgement, Ben held out his hands and the Queen handed him the japor snippet. It landed heavy on his palm, memories leaking out into his skin; memories of soft and gentle times, of hope and peace and much that was once lost. 

“It’s yours. If you’ll have it.”

His fingers closed around the pendant as the Queen stepped back and took him in, her expression impossible to read.

“Why?”

“Your family creates as well as destroys, Ben Solo. There is capacity for both in us all. And to answer your question, it’s a Royal Artifact. And I am the Queen and you are a son of Naboo. I give nothing that is not already yours.” 

He coiled the chain around his hand and curled the pendant in his fist. “Your generosity will never be forgotten. And we will not overstay our welcome. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, Your Majesty.”

The Queen nodded and turned to leave, but Ben’s final query, whispered in the portrait gallery held her in her place. 

He couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Why don’t you hate me?”

Everyone hated him. It was once a fact he bow with pride, but now that he is is  _ this _ it has twisted into a mess of shame. His mother hated him, his father, Luke, Hux, Snoke, everyone in the Rebellion— Rey.

Even she hated him. He gave her reason to. But now she smiled when she met his eyes and his heart lurched in his chest in a way he didn’t quite understand except that he wanted more. Their bond did much to ease the animosity between them, but there were still questions she craved and answers he couldn’t give. Probably could never give. There was still darkness in him, shadows that lingered and whispered and craved, and though the light shone in, it made those dark spaces highlighted, illuminating just how far he’d fallen.

The Queen pondered for a moment before walking back before him. She stared at the japor snippet in Ben’s hands, cupping her own around them. “Naboo has always strived and sought out peace. Our history is not free from our own bloodshed, though we have sought reparations and encourage the galaxy to do the same. It was always our goal to do the least harm, to seek out peace and end war where possible. 

“You’ve done the galaxy harm, Ben Solo. But I carry the weight of my planet’s sins. I am her face and my face bleeds for her through eternity.” A delicate hand touched her mouth and the blood red streak that split her bottom lip. Ben’s scar burned. “There is atonement. And hope.”

Ben followed her gaze. The sunlight illuminated Padme Amidala’s portrait, the warmth pulling out the burnished golds and bleeding reds and the soft blues and browns. The woman looked like him, the same dark hair, the same dark eyes and weight in their gaze. She looked like his mother, she looked like his uncle. 

Ben shook his head and swallowed, his mouth dry, the pendant weighing him down. “I would have liked to have had the chance to know her.”

The Queen ran a hand over Padme’s name. Ben gently folded the japor snippet into his pocket. “From what I was told, she was a force to be reckoned with. You would have liked her. I think she would have liked you too.”

~

The sun was setting, casting long shadows through Theed Palace’s long windows. Golden plants shimmered in the light, while the green vines took on a warm glow. Rey found Ben in an alcove not far from the state dining room. A small fountain bubbled next to him, a brazier flickered in the corner; he lazily dragged a gloved hand through the water. Rey smiled and stepped inside. 

“You look nice,” she said. He looked up slowly, the light dawning on his face and his eyes widening as he took her in. The tunic they gave him was a soft crushed velvet in the deep black blues of the midnight sky, lined with golden thread and a heavy black cape thrown over one shoulder. 

“You do too,” he said quickly. “Did the Queen loan that to you?”

Rey twisted, the delicate layers of Padme’s gown rustling together in a gentle hush. The silver collar was cool at her throat, the bracers on her upper arms reassuring and between it all was soft gossamer dyed to the color of the setting sun. One of the palace servants came by and helped her with her hair, setting it to gentle curls and strands of pearls woven in between. 

“No, it was a gift.” Rey said. “Apparently it used to belong to Padme. She was very beautiful.”

“So are you,” he said softly.

Heat bloomed from the base of her spine, against the cool of the air where her back was bared. Her skin prickled pleasantly as his eyes trailed down her silhouette, her eyes never quite leaving his lips.  

“They’re yours technically,” Rey clarified, her hands fiddling with the gown. “But the queen said it was fine for me to wear them.”

“It is,” Ben said quickly. “I mean, I don’t need them and they look…”

He trailed off. Rey looked up. He watched her as the wind carried through her hair and caught the layers of her gown. She tried cosmetics for the second or third time in her life and while the servant had to help her after her hair, Rey felt the soft blush on her cheeks and the dark powder on her eyes flicker in the light of the brazier. Her lips were painted in a soft color and they parted as her breath was carried away.

“You wear them so well.” He said that so softly that they were almost lost.

She stepped in and reached up with her hand. His hair curled behind his ears, brushed for one of the first times in the span that she’d known him, but she didn’t care. She reached up higher and higher, twisting the strands in her fingers as she brought his head down and reached up and up until his mouth hovered above her own.

His breath was warm on her face as his hazy eyes roamed across her face. A steady hand trailed along her jaw and she leaned into it, leaned into him and his warmth and the softness of his lips and the gentleness of his mouth. They'd kissed before. It was a rare thing between them since the end of the war when all they did was look at each other and see the gaps the other carved. There were aching holes they longed to fill and crevices wide enough to swallow them both and in the rare moments that they came together, they could be forgotten. It was agony to be a part, and it was agony to come together, but here on this planet, in this place, Rey didn't want anything else in the world. She wanted him and only him and more and more and she took what she could and he gave it to her willingly. The bond was wide open between them and there was nothing lost, nothing gained - just them and the soft weight of rain in the sky. 

The kiss deepened as his hand pulled in the small of her back; the hand at her jaw reaching back and pulling into her hair. His tongue teased at her lips and she let him in and then she was lost as her hands twisted in his cloak and his hair and he gasped against her. She nipped along the curve of his jaw, kissing just beneath his ear before he fired her away and murmured sweet nothings against the line of her skin.

“We need to go,” Rey said breathlessly. Ben murmured something unintelligible into her skin, his mouth leaving her neck and roving across her bare shoulder.

“Ben,” she said and turned away as Ben’s hands fell from her hips like fallen silk. Hooded eyes followed her, his lips turning out in a pout. “We’re going to be late.”

He nuzzled against her neck, his lips moving against her skin. “I don’t care.”

“Excuse me?”

The two of them broke apart as a handmaiden stood outside the alcove. Her hood was drawn but it was impossible to miss the poorly hidden smile on her lips. She bowed once. “The Queen was wondering if you had gotten lost. She sent me to find you.”

Rey grabbed Ben’s hand and held it tight as the looming anger in the corner of his eyes faded to a resignation and the hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth.

“Only a little bit,” Ben commented quickly. The breeze lifted the edge of his cape as the handmaiden turned to lead them on.

He held out his arm for her. Rey took it and fell into step at his side. The flush that covered her body began to recede, but Rey basked in its warmth and held onto his side. This felt good, this felt right. The Jedi and the Jedi Killer on a planet that belonged to them both. Behind them, a gentle rain began to fall. 

No. 

Rey looked at him again. 

Not the Jedi Killer. There was a reassurance in Ben’s eyes, something she hadn’t noticed before. It lingered there alongside his scar -- something better, something more. Rey looked up to him and then to the pendant on his chest, etched with markings by a small, shaking hand. The Force was heavy in that small pendant, burdened with innocence. 

Ben wore it proudly.

 

**Author's Note:**

> \- [Padme's japor snippet](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Japor_snippet/Legends)  
> \- [Rey's gown](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1NbzkPFXXXXXbXXXXq6xXFXXXS/2017-star-wars-costume-Revenge-of-the-Sith-Padme-Amidala-lake-dress-Star-Wars-Padme-Amidala.jpg_640x640.jpg)  
> \- [Ben's outfit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/420523683936600000/) But with a little more greys/blacks and a cape instead of jacket ;)
> 
> (ps if you want more reylo fic, check out rest of the collection, i promise you won't be disappointed!)


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